QUICK TAKES - June 19, 2009

David Letterman’s squabble with Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin gave his “Late Show” a ratings boost last week, but new NBC rival Conan O’Brien retains the upper hand after two weeks as “Tonight Show” host.

Overall for the week of June 8, “Tonight” won in total viewers as well as the key demographic groups of ages 18 to 49 and 18 to 34, according to Nielsen Media Research figures released Thursday.

Even so, CBS’ “Late Show” scored total-viewer victories on three nights last week, as controversy (and viewer interest) heated up after Letterman’s racy joke about a Palin daughter.

For the week, “Late Show” averaged 3.67 million viewers, while “Tonight” posted 3.77 million. For “Late Show,” it was the closest competitive position to “Tonight” since December 2005, Nielsen said.